Similar Name Confuses Customers of East Coast Production Company

Despite setbacks stemming from the confusion of a like-named company, Platinum Pictures says they're on the road to recovery.

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Logo of Platinum "Not X" Pictures

Platinum Pictures President Miss Robyn La'Moure says she knew trouble was coming when she heard of Platinum X. Though La'Moure also says Platinum Pictures had registered its name as a trademark in 2001, distributors confused Platinum Pictures' releases with Platinum X's titles when they debuted in March.

"That was the first of many [mishaps]... We stopped getting orders," she adds.

But Platinum Pictures' problems didn't end there. The confusion trickled down to retailers, despite corrections made by the distributors. "Stores stopped calling and we were getting email from customers saying stores weren't carrying our stuff. The stores' responses were that we already ordered your stuff... or we don't do double orders from the same company," she says. "I think we lost some accounts."

Though Platinum Pictures was the older company, Platinum X was the better-known of the two. The confusion and subsequent decline in sales lead to the cancellation of four of Platinum Pictures' productions. La'Mour also estimates that "several thousands of dollars" were lost in sales.

Though Platinum Pictures' lawyers wanted to contact Platinum X, La'Moure felt that the best course of action to take was to personally write an email. With the possibility of a crackdown on the adult industry from Washington, La'Moure says infighting between companies would do more harm than good and because she respects the work of Platinum X directors Michael Stefano and Manuel Ferrara.

A spokesman for Platinum X told AVN.com the company had done research to ensure that there were no like-named companies and that so far as he knew, the email had not been received by the company.'

La'Moure says that since then, the company's regained some accounts and has received some reorders for their product. The Platinum Pictures also has assumed distribution of all its titles.

"It's not completely resolved, but we're looking for solutions," she adds.